SPANISH RICE STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

SPANISH RICE STUFFED BELL PEPPERS image

Yield 6 people

Number Of Ingredients 10

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One 6 oz. package Farmhouse® Spanish Rice
One 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1-1/2 cups water
6 green, red, yellow or orange bell peppers (choose bell peppers with straight sides and that will stand upright)
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°. In medium sauce pan over medium heat, bring water, tomatoes, rice and contents of seasoning packet just to boil. Reduce to low boil, cover, and cook for 25 minutes. Uncover and remove from heat. Prepare peppers by cutting off tops. Set pepper tops aside. Scrape out insides of peppers to remove seeds and membrane. Discard scrapings. Place peppers in baking pan. Remove stems from reserved pepper tops and chop pepper tops into small pieces. While rice is cooking, in medium skillet over medium heat, add butter, onion, celery, garlic and chopped pepper tops. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain excess grease. Add rice into meat mixture and stir until combined. Fill peppers with mixture. Place stuffed peppers in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese on top of peppers. Return to oven and bake an additional 3 minutes until cheese melts. Remove from oven and serve.